Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1887-03-18
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE's SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: -Four Full Regiments"


De unto you for memoridL-Exodus, xii, Il
When week before last the communicant
membership of this church passed into the
tour thousand, now reaching four thousand
and forty-hve, the first part of my text came
TO my mind, and bethought myself what a
grand thing it would be if the four thousand
OF our communicate membership would, like
the four thousand of the ancient Temple
make 1t their lifetime business, to praise the
Lord. Let them all take harp and timbrel
and anthem and doxologyl
Inc alluSlon OF my second text is to the
Passover which commemorated the deliver
ance Of the Children of Israel on the night
when the destroying angel sped through the
land of Egypt destroying the enemy but
saving the Israelitas, because on the door
posts OF their dwellings was sprinkled the
blood OF a lamb. To-day we come to celebrate
grander Passover, all peril going away from
our soul at the sight of the sprinkled blood Of
the Lamb of God on the door-posts of our
hearts. Christ, our Passover, sacrificed for
us. This day shall be unto you for me-
morialn
The Sacramento Sabbath, whether it
comes in an American church or an English
chapel or a Scotch kirk, is more impressive
than any other Sabbath. Its light is holer,
calmer, sweeter; its voices more tender; its
touch Is softer; its memories are more chast-
ened. The fruits of the Christian life sudden
~ rtpen, like orchards on the hill fronting the
South. The wine of the Holy Sacrament
seems pressed from the grapes of Celestial
vineyards, and the bread broken seems to
drop from the hand of Him who parted the
loaves for the five thousand We walk to the
church Of God with more thoughtful face and
with quieter step. The jubilant songs of 9TH
er Sundays are struck through with
penslveneSs and are all q tremble
with tears; and when, at the close
of the service, at the door we shake hands, it
is with more cordial grasp, because we feel
thrilling through our body, and mind and
soul the great doctrines of Christian brother
hood; and our minds go back to our fore
fathers celebrating the Sacrament in times of
persecution in Scotland among the Highlands:
commemorating the dying love Of Christ,
while they were pursued of their enemies,
pouring the wine into rough wooden cups
dipping the waters of baptism from the
mountain rock, until one day thev heard the
voices Of their enemies coming up the hill,
and the pastor cried out: ooh Lord,
the Shepherd, have mercy on the sheep!"
and instantly there was q roaring heard
as of great floods and sure enough a cloud
had burst and there We're great torrents run
ming down the mountain side that whelmed
their foes with sudden wrath What de-
| hVerance 1t was for them on that Sacramental
| dry Oh, that on this Sacramental day the
cloud OF Gods mercy might burst and our
| sins be whelmed and our souls be saved This
| is the amethyst Of days. This is the pearl Of
| days. This is the diamond of days. This is
the day of days. Among the ten thousand
million ages Of eternity the first Sabbath of
| March, 1887, will be to you significant and
memorable, for 'this day shall be unto you''
for ever and for ever "a memorial"
There is much in the scene of to-day to i'm
press us because it is a time of reinforcement.
used to remark that if l ever lived to see
our membership four thousand | thought
would be willing to say with one of old: "Now,
| Lord, ,lettest thou Thy servant depart in peace,
for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation" But
l have changed my mind, and l never SO
much wanted to stay as now, so as to see them
| all enlisted for God and to watch their victo-
ries What might they not accomplish in the
way of making the world better If they
were all baptized with a double por-
ton of the Holy Ghost Four thousand
That is four full regiments, as military men
count thousand to regiment | think not
| one hypocrite amongst them. Taken into
the church sometimes In large numbers, but
each one as carefully examined as to change
OF heart and evidence of regeneration as
though he or she were the only one present
ing himself or herself. Many of our former
and have joined the church triumphant,
but we have four thousand and mere
left for the church militant TC
armsl Quit you like menl We want nc
reserve corps among them. Go into action all
of you. Some will be officers and command
Some will make cavalry charge Some will
be sharpshooterS. Some will stand guard
Some will be on picket duty. Many Of you
will belong to the rank and file. Let there bC
no stragglers, none off on furlough, not one
deSerter With Christ for Commander-in-
chief, and the one-starred, blood-striped ban.
ner of manger and cross to lead the way, | Civ,
the order that the General in the war gave
CtiY Io,,
the wind, he cried out till all the host hearC
him: Forward! the whole lineI
There is also something in such a scene K
deeply impress one because it rehearses {
death scene. Now, you know, there is some
thing very touching in such an incident
Though you are in a hotel and it is stranger
that is dying, how softly you move about tht
place, and If you come up to his couch it il
with uncovered head. Even the voice of tht
jester is stopped, and when the eyes of tina
stranger are closed it is with emotion. But
am to tell you this morning of death sucl
as has never before or since occurred
When we die, we die for ourselves and tn
crisis is alleviated by all benefcent ministries
Bathings for the hands; bathings for tn
head; bathings for the feet; the light turne
down low or set in just the right place; a
the offices OF affection about us when W
come to die But not SO with Jesus Fl
died not for Himself, but He died il
torment and He died for others He nigh
have moved around in gardens made by Hi
own hand, an earthly potentate amid vine
yards and olive groves sloping to the sea. In
stead of being tossed in the fishing boat o.
Tiberius, He might have chosen sunshin,
day and a pleasant wave for the lake crossing
Instead Of being followed by an unwashe
rabble He might have charmed sanhedrim
and universities with His eloquence. In
stead of q cross and a bunch of twiste
h,.a, Il h. ,so-l.N
in the castle of a Roman merchant, the nj
bland with lilies and frankincense. But no
He died in torture; the good for the bad; tn
kind for the cruel; the wise for the ignorant
the divine for the human. Oh how tenderl
we feel toward any one who has done grea
kindness and perhaps at the imperiling Of hi
own life How we ought to feel towar
Chr t, the Captain of our salvation, on til
white horse riding down our foes; but in tn
moment He made the victorious charge, tn
lances of death struck Him!
There was a very touching scene among a.
Indian tribe in the last century. 1t scenes
that one of the chieftains had slain man be
longing to an opposite tribe, and that trib
came up and said: 1--WE will exterminate yo
unless you surrender the man who committe
that crime" The chieftain who did the Grim
} stepped out from the ranks and said: 81 al
} not afraid to die, but have wife and fou
children, and l have a father aged and
ho1neF ageu, WHOM support py nulltlne
; and sorrow to leave them helpless" J." Just as b
said that his old father from behind stepped on
and said: "He shall not die 1 take hi
r place. | am old and well-stricken in years
: | can do no good. l might as well die. M
days are almost over. He cannot be spared
, Take me-" And they accepted the sacrifice
Wonderful sacrifice! you say but not so wor
derful as that found in the Gospel, for we dc
served to die, aye, we were sentenced whe
+ Christ, not worn out with years but il
the flush of His youth, said: "Sav
that man from going down TO the pit
l am the ransom. Put his burdens on m